Sealed feeding bottle assembly



y 1966 E. .1. MEIERHOEFER 3,253,726

SEALED FEEDING BOTTLE ASSEMBLY Filed June 24, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 awmega y 1, 1966 E. J. MEIERHOEFER 3,253,726

SEALED FEEDING BOTTLE ASSEMBLY Filed June 24, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States. Patent 3,253,726 SEALED FEEDING BOTTLE ASSEMBLY Eugene John Meierhoefer, Columbus, ()hio, assignor to Abbott Laboratories, a corporation of Illinois Filed June 24, 1964, Ser. No. 377,696 Claims. (Cl. 21511) This invention relates to a disposable sealed feeding bottle assembly adapted to hold an individual sterilized serving of water, a liquid milk product or other liquid food, etc., in sterile condition, and is particularly concerned with means for providing an eflicient and economi cal method of packaging, transporting and storing individual sterilized servings of water, liquid food or other liquid compositions intended primarily for human consumption.

Although the feeding bottle assembly of the present invention is most often used in connection with feeding infants, it is also useful in feeding liquid or concentrated liquid nutrients to invalids, geriatric patients, animals and others requiring a nipple arrangement for liquid or concentrated liquid food intake.

The bottle, which may be made of glass, plastic or any other suitable material, has a special finish designed to accommodate a primary sealing disk, a feeding nipple having an air vent in its base flange, a clamping ferrule adapted to exert lateral pressure against the base of the nipple to eflect a continuous permanent seal around the periphery of the finish, and a rigid shroud detachably secured to the finish to hold the parts together in assembled relationship and to protect the nipple against contarnination prior to use. When the rigid shroud is secured in place it also closes the air vent to seal off the nipple cavity from the bottle and thereby retain all of the contents within the bottle. When the rigid-shroud is removed it opens the air vent and establishes a liquid flow path so that the contents of the bottle may flow into the nipple cavity and to the feeding hole in the nipple.

The structure by means of which the above mentioned and other advantages of the invention are attained will be fully described in the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings showing a preferred illustrative embodiment of the invention in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of a sealed feeding bottle assembly embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view, taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view, similar to FIG. 1, showing the bottle assembly with the rigid shroud removed;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view, taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the bottle finish; and

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the primary sealing disk.

In the drawings, a bottle 11, which may be made of glass, plastic or any other suitable material, is provided with a finish 12 having a top surface 13 that is essentially fiat but is divided into an inner annular section 14 and an outer annular section 15 by an annular feeding groove 16. Inner annular section 14 is further divided by a plurality of radial feeding grooves 17 that extend inwardly from groove 16 to the inner surface of the finish. The bottom of each groove 17 slopes downwardly from the bottom of groove 16. The outer surface of finish 12 is provided with an annular bead 18 spaced from the top of the finish, and a helical thread 19 spaced from the bottom of bead 18. The thread preferably extends more than one complete turn around the finish. The diameter of the portion of the finish having thread 19 is greater than the outside diameter of head 18. The head and thread are illustrated as continuous members extending completely around the finish, but either or both may comprise a series of circumferentially spaced projections, if desired.

A primary sealing disk 26, made of metal, plastic or other suitable material that is somewhat rigid, is seated on top surface 13 of finish 12. The sealing disk is preferably provided at its outer edge with a depending annular fiange 21 which fits against the upper edge of the finish. Flange 2-1 may be omitted, but is preferred because it serves as an alignment aid and prevents the sealing disk from slipping out of its proper position during and after the assembly. The sealing disk is provided with a series of circumferentially spaced apertures 22 that are in alignment with annular feeding groove 16 when the disk is positioned on the bottle finish. It is immaterial whether apertures 22 are in alignment with the radial feeding grooves.

A feeding nipple 23, made of rubber, plastic or any suitable elastomer type material, has a base flange 24 adapted to seat on sealing disk 21), and a skirt 25 depending from the outer edge of said base flange. The nipple has a feeding hole or holes 26 in its top wall and an air vent 27 in base flange 24. The underside of base flange 24 is provided with a shallow annular recess 28 so that I it will be spaced above the sealing disk throughout the area of feeding grooves 16 and 17 when the portion of the base flange overlying said feeding grooves is not subjected to vertical pressure. The upper surface of flange 24 is provided with an annular recess 29 having its inner edge in vertical alignment with the outer edge of recess 28. The lower edge of skirt 25 has a head or projection 30 extending inwardly.

The base flange of the nipple is clamped against the bottle finish and the flange of the sealing disk by a ferrule 31 made of aluminum, plastic or other suitable material. The ferrule comprises a fiat annular flange 32 and a depending skirt 33. Flange 32 has a width approximately equal to the width of recess 29 and is seated in said recess. Skirt 33 extends below head 18 and its lower edge is crimped under the lower edge of said head to clamp the ferrule tightly against head 18 and flange 24 of the nipple. This clamping action presses skirt 25 of the nipple firmly against the finish. Projection 30 at the lower edge of skirt 25 causes the upper portion of skirt 25 to be pressed against the upper edge portion of the finish to form a continuous permanent seal between skirt 25 and the bottle finish adjacent the upper edge of the finish.

A rigid shroud 34, made of metal, plastic or any suitable rigid material, is detachably secured to the finish of the bottle in any suitable manner. The shroud comprises a dome 35 adapted to enclose the upper portion of the nipple, a lateral section 36 adapted to seat on top of flange 24, and a depending skirt 37. The inside diameter of skirt 37 is greater than the outside diameter of ferrule 31 so that the shroud may be moved into or out of its sealing position in the bottle assembly without disturbing the ferrule. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, skirt 37 has a thread 38 for threaded interengagement with helical thread 19. However, the helical thread of the bottle finish may be replaced by individual projections, and the skirt of the shroud may be provided with bayonet slots or grooves to engage the projections. It is also possible to replace the helical thread of the bottle finish by an annular head or groove and to crimp the lower edge of skirt 37 under said head or into said groove. In the two last mentioned embodiments skirt 37 is weakened circumferentially, as, for example, by closely spaced perforations or a tearing strip, so that the shroud and the upper portion of its skirt can be easily removed from the bottle.

When the shroud is secured in place on the bottle it encloses the nipple and protects it against contamination. The shroud also exerts a downward force circumferentially of flange 2d. Lateral section 36 of the shroud has an annular section 39 offset downwardly. Annular section 39 has a width approximately equal to the width of the portion of flange 24 between the inner edge of recess 29 and the outer surface of the lower end of the nipple cavity. The downward force exerted by section 39 deforms the portion of flange 24 overlying recess 28 to force it downwardly against the upper sur: face of sealing disk 20, thereby sealing off air vent 27 and also sealing off the flow path from the bottle to the nipple cavity to prevent accidental flow of liquid from the bottle to the nipple cavity. The flow path from the bottle to the nipple comprises grooves 16, 17, apertures 22 and recess 28. It should be noted that it is not essential to fill in holes 22 to prevent such liquid flow. The bottle assembly and the liquid contents of the bottle are sterilized after the shroud has been secured in place. The nipple and contents of the bottle remain in their sterile condition until the shroud is removed.

When the contents of the bottle are to be served to a recipient, the shroud is removed and discarded. Removal of the shroud relieves the downward pressure against the portion of flange 24 between the inner edge of recess 29 and the outer surface of the lower end of the nipple cavity. Flange 24 moves to the position shown in FIG. 4 and makes the air vent operative. The feeding nipple, still in its sterile condition, is placed in the recipients mouth in inverted position and a liquid flow path is established. The liquid flows from the bottle through radial feeding grooves 17 to annular groove 16, through holes 22 in the sealing disk into the nipple cavity, and then through feeding hole or holes 26 into the recipients mouth.

Although I have described a preferred embodiment of the invention in considerable detail, it will be understood that the description thereof is intended to the illustrative, rather than restrictive, as many details of construction may be modified or changed without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, I do not desire to be restricted to the exact construction described.

I claim:

1. A sealed feeding bottle assembly comprising a bottle having an open end, a finish surrounding said open end and a feeding nipple secured to said finish, said nipple having a feeding opening extending therethrough, said finish having a feeding groove in its upper surface, a disk extending across the open end of said bottle and the upper surface of said finish, said disk having a plurality of apertures in communication with said feeding groove when said disk is positioned against the open end of said bottle, said nipple having a recess in its lower surface providing a space extending from the interior of said nipple and communicating with said apertures, removable means compressing the recessed surface of said nipple against the apertures of said disk to close said feeding groove, said feeding groove being adapted when open to form part of a pasasgeway permitting liquid to flow from said bottle through said groove on its way to said feeding nipple when said bottle is inverted.

2. A sealed feeding bottle assembly comprising a bottle having an open end and a finish surrounding said open end, a feeding groove in the top surface of said finish, a perforated disk extending across the open end of said bottle and the top surface of said finish, means sealing the peripheral edge portion of said disk to said finish, a feeding nipple extending over said disk, said nipple having a feeding opening extending therethrough, means securing said feeding nipple to said bottle, said nipple having a recess in its lower surface forming a space extending from the interior of said nipple and terminating in inwardly spaced relationship to the outer munication with said perforated disk and cooperating edge of said lower surface, said space Ibeing in comwith said perforated disk and said feeding groove to form a passageway for the flow of liquid from said bottle to said nipple, an air vent extending through said feeding nipple, said air vent communicating with said feeding groove and the atmosphere, and means for closing said passageway and said air vent to prevent flow of liquid from said bottle to said nipple.

3. A sealed feeding bottle assembly comprising a bottle having an open end and afinish surrounding said open end, a feeding groove in the top surface of said finish, a disk extending across the open end of said bottle and the top surface of said finish, said disk having a plurality of apertures in its peripheral edge portion in communication with said feeding groove, a feeding nipple having a feeding hole extending therethrough, a flange extending outwardly from the lower end of said feeding nipple, said flange overlying the peripheral edge portion of said disk, the inner portion of said flange being recessed to form a space in communication with said perforations, said space cooperating with said perforations and said feeding groove to form a passageway for the flow of liquid from said bottle to said nipple, means sealing the peripheral edge portions of said disk and said flange to said finish, said feeding groove comprising part of a passageway for the flow of liquid from said bottle to said nipple, an air vent extending through said flange to provide air flow communication between the atmosphere and said feeding groove, and means detachably secured to said finish, said last mentioned means being adapted to seal said air vent passageway when secured to said finish.

4. A sealed feeding bottle assembly comprising a bottle having an open end and a finish surrounding said open end, a feeding groove in the top surface of said finish, said feeding groove being confined entirely within the inner portion of said top surface and extending across the inner edge of said top surface, a perforated disk extending across the open end of said bottle and the top surface of said finish, a feeding nipple having a feeding hole extending therethrough, a flange extending outwardly from the lower end of said feeding nipple, said flange overlying the peripheral edge portions of said disk, means sealing the peripheral edge portions of said disk and said flange to said finish, an annular recess on the underside of said flange in register with said feeding groove, an air vent extending through said flange in register with said recess to provide air flow communication between the atmosphere and said feeding groove, and a rigid shroud detachably secured to said finish, said shroud. having a section enga-geable with said flange to press the recessed portion of said flange against said disk to seal said air vent.

5. A sealed feeding bottle assembly comprising a bottle having an open end and a finish surrounding said open end, an annular feeding groove and a plurality of radial feeding grooves in the top surface of said finish, said radial grooves extending inwardly from said annular groove to the inner surface of said finish, a perforated disk extending across said open end and the top surface of said finish, a feeding nipple having a feeding hole extending thlerethrough, said nipple having a lateral flange overlying the peripheral edge portions of said disk, means sealing the peripheral edge portions of said disk and said flange to said finish, an annular recess on the underside of said flange in register with said annular and radial feeding grooves, an air vent extending through said flange in register with said recess to provide air flow communication between the atmosphere and said annular and radial feeding grooves, and a rigid shroud detachably secured to said finish, said shroud having a section engageable with said flange to press the recessed portion of said flange against said disk to seal said air vent.

6. A sealed feeding bottle assembly comprising a bottle having an open end and a finish surrounding said open end, a feeding groove in the top surface of said finish, a perforated disk extending across the open end of said bottle and the top surface of said finish, a feeding nipple having a feeding hole extending therethrough, said nipple overlying the peripheral edge portions of said disk and having a depending skirt surrounding the upper edge portion of said finish, means clamping said skirt against the upper edge portion of said finish to form a continuous seal between said nipple, said perforated disk and said finish, an air vent extending through said nipple to provide air flow communication between the atmosphere and said feeding groove, and a rigid shroud detachably secured to said finish, said shroud in its secured position sealing said air vent and enclosing said nipple to protect it against contamination prior to use.

7. A sealed feeding bottle assembly comprising a bottle having an open end and a finish surrounding said open end, a feeding groove in the top surface of said finish, a perforated disk extending across the open end of said bottle and the top surface of said finish, a feeding nipple having a feeding hole extending therethrough, said nipple overlying the peripheral edge portions of said disk and having a depending skirt surrounding the upper edge portion of said finish, a ferrule sealing said skirt to the upper edge portion of said finish, an air vent extending through said nipple to provide air flow communication between the atmosphere and said feeding groove, and a rigid shroud detachably secured to said finish, said shroud in its secured position sealing said air vent and enclosing said nipple to protect it against contamination prior to use.

8. A sealed feeding bottle assembly comprising a bottle having an open end and a finish surrounding said open end, a feeding groove in the top surface of said finish, a perforated disk extending across the open end of said bottle and the top surface of said finish, a feeding nipple having a feeding hole extending therethrough, said nipple having a flexible flange overlying the peripheral edge portions of said disk and a depending skirt surrounding the upper edge portion of said finish, a ferrule sealing said skirt to the upper edge portion of said finish, an air vent extending through said flexible flange in register with said feeding groove to provide air flow communication between the atmosphere and said feeding groove, and a rigid shroud detachably secured to said finish, said shroud in its secured position sealing said air vent and enclosing said nipple to protect it against contamination prior to use.

9. A sealed feeding bottle assembly comprising a bottle having an open end and a finish surrounding said open end, an annular feeding groove and a plurality of radial feeding grooves in the top surface of said finish, said radial grooves extending inwardly from said annular groove to the inner surface of said finish, a perforated disk extending across the open end of said bottle and the top surface of said finish, a feeding nipple having a feeding hole extending therethrough, said nipple having a flexible flange overlying the peripheral edge portions of said disk and having a depending skirt surrounding the upper edge portion of said finish, an annular recess on the underside of said flange in register with said annular and radial feeding grooves, said annular recess cooperating with said annular and radial feeding grooves and with the perforations in said disk to form a flow path to permit liquid contents in said bottle to flow into said nipple, a ferrule sealing said skirt to the upper edge portion of said finish, an air vent extending through the recessed portion of said nipple to provide air flow communication between the atmosphere and said annular and radial feeding grooves, and a rigid shroud detachably secured to said finish, said shroud in its secured position enclosing said nipple to protect it against contamination prior to use and also sealing off the flow path from the bottle to said nipple, thereby preventing the liquid contents of said bottle from flowing into said nipple until said shroud is released from its engage ment with said finish.

10. An open ended feeding bottle of the type adapted to be used with a nipple having a flange, a sealing disk between the nipple and the open end of the bottle de fining a flow path for liquid from the bottle to said nipple, and means holding said nipple flange and disk in position to prevent the flow of liquid from said bottle to said nipple comprising a body portion and a finish having a substantially cylindrical inner surface defining an unrestricted opening at one end of said body portion, said opening having a minimum diameter greater than one half of the outer diameter of said finish, said finish having a top surface defining a flat portion adjacent its outer edge and a feeding groove in said flat top portion spaced from said outer edge and adapted to direct flow to said nipple, said feeding groove comprising an annular portion and a plurality of radial portions which slope downwardly from the bottom of said annular portion toward the interior of said bottle, said annular portion dividing said top surface into an outer annular section and an inner annular section, and said radial portions traversing said inner annular section only and interconnecting said annular portion and the interior of said bottle, whereby said feeding groove forms part of a passageway permitting a continuous flow of liquid from said bottle to a nipple secured to saidbottle when said nipple is free of its holding means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 162,117 4/1875 Synnott 215-31 2,353,520 4/ 1944 Stanley 21531 3,022,914 2/1962 Marsh et a1 215-11 FOREIGN PATENTS 802,708 4/1951 Germany.

JOSEPH R. LE CLAIR, Primary Examiner.

' FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Examiner.

R. PESHOCK, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A SEALED FEEDING BOTTLE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A BOTTLE HAVING AN OPEN END, A FINISH SURROUNDING SAID OPEN END AND A FEEDING NIPPLE SECURED TO SAID FINISH, SAID NIPPLE HAVING A FEEDING OPENING EXTENDING THERETHROUGH, SAID FINISH HAVING A FEEDING GROOVE IN ITS UPPER SURFACE, A DISK EXTENDING ACROSS THE OPEN END OF SAID BOTTLE AND THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID FINISH, SAID DISK HAVING A PLURALITY OF APERTURES IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID FEEDING GROOVE WHEN SAID DISK IS POSITIONED AGAINST THE OPEN END OF SAID BOTTLE, SAID NIPPLE HAVING A RECESS IN ITS LOWER SURFACE PROVIDING A SPACE EXTENDING FROM THE INTERIOR OF SAID NIPPLE AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID APERTURES, REMOVABLE MEANS COMPRESSING THE RECESSED SURFACE OF SAID NIPPLE 